Speaker of New Zealand Parliament receives UAE youth representative.

Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament, received Rayan Abdullah Lootah, Representative of the UAE, who is participating in the “New Zealand and United Nations Youth Programme,” at the parliament building in the capital, Wellington.

Lootah’s participation in the two-day programme is part of the UAE’s efforts to empower its youth and prepare them to handle their responsibilities and their international role in highlighting the UAE’s stature and advancement in youth empowerment, as well as in introducing the UAE’s traditional values in the areas of tolerance, coexistence and cultural diversity.

Representatives of participating countries were chosen by the New Zealand Parliament after receiving hundreds of applications and resumes expressing their roles in their communities and their interest in global issues. Although Lootah was under the age of 16 when he applied, he was accepted to represent the UAE, due to the various programmes he participated in.

Saleh Ahmed Salem Al Zarim Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to New Zealand, praised the first participation of Emirati youth in the programme, which reflects the keenness of the UAE’s leadership to empower the country’s youth and ingrain the spirit of leadership in them.